Chapter 38
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Now, Let's Go
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Though the night was deep enough for the forge to be silent, the hammering rang out loudly.
Yet Ha Seol-ran slept soundly, as if the noise were a lullaby.
A month had passed since he threw himself into the hammering.
In that time, all stray thoughts and the stench of blood seemed washed away—Ha Mu-baek's eyes were clearer and purer than ever.
"It's done."
The forging of the fifth sword was complete.
Now it was time to hone these five blades.
He'd have to set the hammer aside for a while.
Ha Mu-baek opened the door and stepped out of the smithy. Even in the dead of night, the river wind blew hot and sticky.
It felt just like midsummer.
"Finished?"
His master, sitting cross-legged on a rock in the courtyard, looked up and asked.
"The forging part seems done, at least."
Wi Ji-gun nodded lightly at Ha Mu-baek's reply.
"Good. And your thoughts? Have you sorted them out? What's your plan?"
Ha Mu-baek hesitated at his master's question.
"It's difficult."
Wi Ji-gun chuckled at the answer.
It was only natural. Deciding the fate of one's own flesh and blood was never easy.
"It's been a full year since Lan fully recovered. She can pull her own weight now."
She'd recovered from her illness three years ago, but her body—weakened to the extreme during those sickbed years—had only fully regained its strength a year back.
Ha Mu-baek listened in silence.
"You'll be worried. That's to be expected. Truth be told, even I'm uneasy..."
Wi Ji-gun gazed up at the sky as he spoke.
No moon hung there, but the stars twinkled brightly in their places.
"Still, isn't it too pitiful to think this narrow place is her whole world? She's healthy now. You might not remember, but she was just three when she came here. This forge is her entire memory."
"I know that. But what she wants..."
Over time, Ha Seol-ran had quietly confided her wishes to Ha Mu-baek.
She wanted to see the world where people lived.
But.
'Join the Dragon Training Pavilion? The Fierce Dragon Corps, no less. I've got to talk her out of it somehow.'
What fantasy had she gotten from hearing his stories?
Ha Seol-ran had been subtly expressing her desire to enter the Dragon Training Pavilion next spring—specifically, the Fierce Dragon Corps.
That was what tormented Ha Mu-baek.
Was the Fierce Dragon Corps just any old place?
It was a group created to raise sacrificial lambs, meat shields for the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
He couldn't send his precious little sister there.
"I know what the Fierce Dragon Corps is like, but if it were you..."
Wi Ji-gun was trying to persuade Ha Mu-baek right now.
He wanted to make Ha Seol-ran's dream come true, no matter what.
"Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest lives up to its name—it's a true demonic forest."
Ha Mu-baek was worried about what came after she completed the Fierce Dragon Corps training.
"Even if you and I went with her?"
"Hoo."
Ha Mu-baek let out a deep sigh at his master's question.
If his master went along...
Where in the world wouldn't be safe?
Even the Demonic Cult's headquarters would be secure.
But even then, Ha Mu-baek's honest wish was that Ha Seol-ran never go near Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest.
"You really want to grant Lan's wish that badly?"
"You wouldn't know, since you've been away so long. The pain she's endured to overcome her congenital weakness."
"..."
Ha Mu-baek had no words.
He truly knew nothing about it.
"After bearing that agony for so long, she's finally as healthy as anyone else. She lost a full seventeen years to it. Now, at least, I want her to step into the life she desires."
"..."
Ha Mu-baek pressed his lips tight.
"Think it over slowly. There's still time."
He understood the meaning behind his master's words.
Prepare his heart in the remaining time, then take Lan and go.
"Hoo. I'll finish up the rest first."
The bloodstains were gone, but now heart demons had taken their place. Worries and concerns for his sister had become his inner demons.
Ha Mu-baek slowly began honing the long sword he'd forged. First, he pedaled a large wheel made of rough charcoal stone.
Once the initial honing was done, he stopped using the wheel.
He simply laid it on the charcoal stone and moved the blade slowly.
Shh. Shh. Shh.
As the low scraping echoed in the smithy, the blade grew sharper and sharper.
Ha Mu-baek wasn't just honing the sword.
As he honed it, he gradually ground away the heart demons lodged in his mind.
He knew the answer was already set. That poor girl wanted it so badly—he had no choice but to grant it.
The worry about what came after fulfilling her wish had become his heart demon.
All sorts of grim imaginings coiled in his chest.
They might seem excessive, but the people he'd seen in the war were no different from hell's yakshas or rakshasas.
No—demons might even be a step better.
It was the same after the war.
The Righteous Heaven Alliance's ugly power struggles. Hadn't he gotten swept up in them and ended up at the Dragon Training Pavilion?
It had let him wash away some blood, turning misfortune into fortune for him.
But those days seeking vengeance for his parents had left him with deep distrust of humanity.
'This one's for Un-roe.'
Gazing at the keenly honed blade, he thought of one boy for a moment.
A faint smile tugged at his lips. Another piece of his heart demon chipped away.
The five children he'd met at the Dragon Training Pavilion's Fierce Dragon Corps.
One seemed to have some scheme, but even that felt endearing.
The three months with them had been a restful healing time for Ha Mu-baek.
He'd acted annoyed, but he had to admit it.
That's why he'd given them the Infinite Restoration Pills.
A few days passed.
Before he knew it, he'd honed all five swords.
The blades gleamed pure white, exuding a chill that could pierce the eyes, their sharpness hinting they could cleave anything.
Ha Mu-baek's eyes were just as clear.
The heart demons that settled after purging the blood had been fully ground away.
Reflecting on the past three months had done it.
At the same time, a tickling sensation stirred in his chest.
The feelings from teaching those five at the Dragon Training Pavilion's Fierce Dragon Corps, the emotions while grinding away his demons—they were sparking some realization, stimulating him.
Ha Mu-baek sat cross-legged.
He contemplated his inner self and began circulating his energy.
How deep did he go? The moment he realized it, he slowly withdrew his consciousness and opened his eyes.
"Tsk tsk. Finally done?"
Wi Ji-gun sat nearby, a pleased smile on his face.
"How long was I out?"
"Five days honing the swords, five more in meditation. Ten days total."
"I see."
Ha Mu-baek nodded slightly.
"Lan."
"Y-yes? Yes, brother."
Ha Seol-ran, who had been peeking at the smithy entrance whenever she could. She was worried about her brother, who hadn't eaten properly and shut himself away.
Master had said not to disturb her brother during this important moment, but how could she not worry?
About a person going ten days without a sip of water.
Unthinkable for her.
"Now, let's go."
"Pardon?"
His first words to her in ten days caught her off guard.
But she understood soon enough.
"B-brother."
"To Muchang, where I've been staying. Let's go together. We'll think about the Fierce Dragon Corps later."
At the words she'd hoped for, Ha Seol-ran's eyes reddened.
A rush of complex emotions flooded her.
What should she say? What should she do?
Even her thoughts tangled into a mess.
"Yes..."
All she could manage was a short reply.
"Alright then. Time to pack up."
Wi Ji-gun rose from his seat, patting his waist.
Ha Mu-baek's gaze turned to him.
"What? Were you planning to leave this old man behind?"
"No, Master. Thank you."
Those few words sufficed.
Wi Ji-gun simply nodded with a smile.
"Oh, and congratulations. This old body might not be able to handle you anymore."
With that, Wi Ji-gun left the smithy.
"Lan, you should pack your things too."
Ha Mu-baek said as he stood.
His body creaked here and there after five days motionless.
"Brother!"
Ha Seol-ran ran to him and hugged tight.
She wept bitterly against his chest, a whirlwind of emotions crashing over her.
Ha Mu-baek simply patted her back gently.
The late summer heat was relentless.
Sweat poured under the blazing sun.
Yet Ha Seol-ran's face brimmed with smiles. Today was the day they left the island.
The dwelling was neatly tidied.
They might return someday, so most things were left as is.
Only the bare essentials were packed into backpacks.
Ha Mu-baek and Wi Ji-gun each carried one, with Ha Mu-baek adding his leather satchel on top.
"Now, let's go."
Wi Ji-gun boarded the ferry first and rowed slowly away from the island.
The formation array over the archipelago was left intact.
Without maintenance, who knew how long it'd hold—but with few visitors, it should last ages.
This island marked the start of Ha Seol-ran's memories.
Good to leave, but she'd miss it someday.
The world of people wasn't all good, after all.
If she longed for it, she should be able to return occasionally—that's why they left it so.
Her hometown.
Cheongran Island. That was her home.
The journey to Muchang went smoothly.
Except for Ha Seol-ran, to whom everything was new, wondrous, and exciting.
Her eyes sparkled like morning stars.
"This must be the Okyang Pavilion!"
Seated by the third-floor window overlooking Lake Dongting, Ha Seol-ran exclaimed in awe.
They'd arrived right at opening in the early morning and barely snagged the spot.
Floors one through three were already packed.
Ha Mu-baek sat indifferently beside her. He'd been here several times before.
But for Ha Seol-ran, it was straight out of a book.
Now that she'd climbed it herself, her face shone with pure delight.
Dishes arrived one by one.
All delicious.
Ha Seol-ran sat mesmerized by the stunning lake view and fine food for quite a while.
"What are your plans, Master?"
"I'll handle my own affairs. No need to worry."
Ha Mu-baek smiled faintly at Wi Ji-gun's words.
"Why would I worry about you, Master? I just need to know so I can move freely regarding Lan."
"You're allowing her into the Fierce Dragon Corps?"
Ha Mu-baek paused briefly at the question.
Then nodded.
"Yes."
A short reply.
Ha Seol-ran, ears perked to their talk, whipped her head toward them.
"Brother!"
Permission she hadn't dared hope for, granted here of all places.
"But I'll always be watching over you."
Ha Mu-baek's brief addition.
"You can manage that?"
Ha Mu-baek answered Wi Ji-gun's question.
"Yes. More than possible."
He'd already spent over three months there.
From what he'd gauged, no one at the Dragon Training Pavilion could detect him if he willed himself hidden.
"Hmm. Then I'll have to find work at that Dragon Training Pavilion too."
"Pardon?"
"Some odd jobs, maybe. Better than you watching alone, no? Heh heh heh."
Wi Ji-gun chuckled, stroking his beard gently.